Chapter 5 The Red Ledger

Chapter Five:

The next morning began with a knock at Mara's precinct office. She wasn't expecting visitors-not after a night like that. Still tired and on edge, she approached her door cautiously. When she opened it, no one stood there.

Only a small brown parcel, wrapped in butcher paper and sealed with black wax.

She brought it inside slowly, inspecting the outside. No return address. No postage stamps. It hadn't been mailed-it had been delivered by hand. That realization sent a chill down her spine.

Inside the package was something stranger than she expected: a thick red ledger, old and slightly water-damaged. Its corners were frayed, the spine cracked. Across the front, in faded gold lettering, were two words:

"Asset Archive."

She flipped open the book with care. Every page was handwritten, ink slightly smudged as though from humidity or tears. It was a list-columns of names, dates, and locations. Some had initials. Some were crossed out. Some included currency figures in the margins. At first glance, it looked like an accounting log.

But this wasn't about money.

It was a kill list.

Government officials. Oil executives. Intelligence officers. Their names paired with locations across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe. Patterns formed quickly: political unrest followed by these names disappearing from the record. Dead. Missing. Assassinated.

Halfway through, her eyes froze on a name she recognized.

Juliana Croix.

Next to it, written in a sharper, darker pen:

"Met w/ EC. Confirmed. Photo secured."

Below it:

"Elias Cross – Retired. Compromised. Targeted."

Mara closed the book slowly, her heartbeat loud in her ears. Juliana hadn't just stumbled onto something dangerous-she had been neck-deep in it. The ledger didn't just document deaths. It was evidence. It outlined a shadow network working behind every major conflict of the last five years.

She paced her office, overwhelmed. How did Juliana come to possess this? And more importantly-why send it to Mara?

Unless Juliana hadn't mailed it. Someone else had.

Her phone buzzed again.

Unknown Number: "You're holding our history. Be careful who you show it to."

This time, there was no voice-just that message.

Mara sat down, red ledger still open beside her.

She had been handed a weapon.

Now the question was: would it protect her-or get her killed?